Method and system for bluetooth, near field communication and simultaneous FM transmission and reception functions

ABSTRACT

A method for wireless communication may include, in an RF chip including transmit and receive functions, performing generating a first signal to enable transmission and/or reception of Bluetooth signals. The first signal may be input to a plurality of direct digital frequency synthesizers (DDFSs). The plurality of DDFSs may be clocked via the generated first signal to enable simultaneous transmission and reception of frequency modulated (FM) signals, and to enable transmission and/or reception of near field communication (NFC) signals. The first signal may be generated via a local oscillator generator (LOGEN) to enable the transmission and/or reception of the Bluetooth signals. The first signal may be generated via a phase locked loop (PLL) to enable the transmission and/or reception of the Bluetooth signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/754,600 filed May 29, 2007, which in turn makes reference to, claimspriority to and claims the benefit of: U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/895,698 filed on Mar. 19, 2007.

This application also makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,481 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,460 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,581 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,621 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,490 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,708 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,768 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,705 filed May 29, 2007;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,407 filed May 29, 2007; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/754,438 filed May 29, 2007.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for Bluetooth, near field communication andsimultaneous FM transmission and reception functions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile terminals that support audio applications are becomingincreasingly popular and, consequently, there is a growing need toprovide a simple and complete solution for audio communicationsapplications. For example, some users may utilize Bluetooth-enableddevices, such as headphones and/or speakers, to allow them tocommunicate audio data with their wireless handset while freeing toperform other activities. Other users may have portable electronicdevices that may enable them to play stored audio content and/or receiveaudio content via FM broadcast communication, for example. Other usersmay use mobile terminals that have near field communication (NFC)capability.

Near field communication (NFC) is a communication standard that enableswireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones,SmartPhones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to establishpeer-to-peer (P2P) networks. NFC may enable electronic devices toexchange data and/or initiate applications automatically when they arebrought in close proximity, for example ranging from touching, or 0 cm,to a distance of about 20 cm. NFC may enable downloading of imagesstored in a digital camera, to a personal computer, or downloading ofaudio and/or video entertainment to MP3 devices, or downloading of datastored in a SmartPhone to a personal computer, or other wireless device,for example. NFC may be compatible with smart card technologies and mayalso be utilized to enable purchase of goods and services.

However, collocating several mobile applications in a single mobileterminal may lead to some difficulties. For example, the variousapplications may operate in different frequency spectrums, and thereforemay need different oscillator circuits. Support for the variousoscillators may require extra power, which is already a scarce resourcefor a mobile device, as well as additional device count and relatedlayout real estate. An output clock signal from an oscillator may pickup interfering signals from other clock signals from other oscillators.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for Bluetooth, near field communication andsimultaneous FM transmission and reception functions, substantially asshown in and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary system that enables Bluetoothcommunication, near field communication and FM transmission and/orreception, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an exemplary FM transmitter thatcommunicates with handheld devices that utilize a single chip withintegrated Bluetooth, near field communication and FM radios, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an exemplary FM receiver that communicateswith handheld devices that utilize a single chip with integratedBluetooth, NFC and FM radios, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 1D is a diagram illustrating a near field communication (NFC)system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system that enablesBluetooth communication, near field communication (NFC) and FMtransmission and/or reception, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a direct digital frequency synthesizer inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for FM transmission andreception, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary near fieldcommunication transmitter/receiver, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary transmit and receiveprocess of a Bluetooth, FM and near field communication system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system forBluetooth, near field communication and simultaneous FM transmission andreception functions. Exemplary aspects of the invention includegenerating a first signal to enable transmission and/or reception ofBluetooth signals, and clocking a plurality of direct digital frequencysynthesizers via the generated first signal to enable simultaneoustransmission and reception of frequency modulated signals, and alsoenable transmission and/or reception of near field communicationsignals. The first signal may be generated via a Bluetooth LOGEN or aBluetooth PLL, and may comprise an in-phase component and a quadraturecomponent. The frequency of the first signal may be within the range of2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz, or may be at a frequency that may be frequencydivided and then mixed with the first signal to result in a signal witha frequency within the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz. One or morecontrol word inputs may be generated to control each of the plurality ofdirect digital frequency synthesizers. The one or more control wordinputs may be adjusted to compensate for changes in frequency of thegenerated first signal. Simultaneous NFC transmission and NFC receptionmay be simulated by switching the generated one or more control wordinputs to one or more of the plurality of direct digital frequencysynthesizers, and may be switched between a plurality of values insuccessive time intervals to perform time division duplexing of the NFCtransmission and NFC reception. The NFC transmission may occur at afirst frequency and the NFC reception may occur at a second frequency.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary system that enables Bluetoothcommunication, near field communication and FM transmission and/orreception, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referringto FIG. 1A, there is shown a mobile terminal 150 comprising a pluralityof transceivers 151, 152, and 153, a baseband processor 154, a processor156, and system memory 158. The transceivers 151, 152, and 153 may eachcomprise a transmitter front end 151 a, 152 a, 153 a, respectively, anda receiver front end 151 b, 152 b, 153 b, respectively.

The transmitter front ends 151 a, 152 a, and 153 a may comprise suitablecircuitry, logic, and/or code that may be adapted to process andtransmit RF signals. The antennas that may be used to transmit thesignals are not shown. The transmitter front ends 151 a, 152 a, and 153a may be communicated baseband signals to be transmitted from a basebandprocessor, such as, for example, the baseband processor 154. The signalsmay then be, for example, filtered, amplified, upconverted, and/ormodulated for transmission. The baseband signal may be analog or digitaldepending on the functionality of the transmitter front end 151 a, 152a, or 153 a and the baseband processor 154.

The receiver front ends 151 b, 152 b, and 153 b may comprise suitablecircuitry, logic, and/or code that may be adapted to receive and processRF signals. The antennas that may be used to receive the signals are notshown. The receiver front ends 151 b, 152 b, and 153 b may amplify,filter, downconvert, and/or demodulate the received signals to generatea baseband signal. The baseband signal may be analog or digitaldepending on the functionality of the receiver front end 151 b, 152 b,or 153 b and the baseband processor 154.

The baseband processor 154 is depicted as a single block for the sake ofsimplicity, however, the invention need not be so limited. For example,other embodiments of the invention may comprise a plurality of basebandprocessors for processing signals to and/or from the transceivers 151,152, and 153.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may be adapted to process received baseband signalsfrom the receiver front ends 151 b, 152 b, and 153 b. The basebandprocessor 154 also may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat may be adapted to process a baseband signal for communication tothe transmitter front ends 151 a, 152 a, and 153 a.

The processor 156 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat may be adapted to control the operations of the transceivers 151,152, and 153 and/or the baseband processor 154. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modify programmableparameters and/or values in a plurality of components, devices, and/orprocessing elements in the transceivers 151, 152, and 153 and/or thebaseband processor 154. Control and/or data information may also betransferred to and/or from another controller and/or processor in themobile terminal 150 to the processor 156. Similarly, the processor 156may transfer control and/or data information to another controllerand/or processor in the mobile terminal 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation to determine a mode of operation for the transceivers 151,152, and/or 153. For example, the processor 156 may control each of thereceiver front ends 151 b, 152 b, and 153 b to receive RF signals at aspecific frequency. Similarly, the processor 156 may control each of thetransmitter front ends 151 a, 152 a, and 153 a to transmit RF signals ata specific frequency. The processor 156 may also adjust a specific gainfor a variable gain amplifier, and/or adjust filtering characteristicsfor a filter. Moreover, a specific frequency selected and/or parametersneeded to calculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gainvalue and/or the parameters needed to calculate the specific gain, maybe stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156. Thisinformation stored in system memory 158 may be transferred to thereceiver front end 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.The system memory 158 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/orcode that may be adapted to store a plurality of control and/or datainformation, including parameters needed to calculate frequencies and/orgain, and/or the frequency value and/or gain value.

The mobile terminal 150 may be enabled to communicate utilizing aplurality of wireless communication protocols, Bluetooth, near fieldcommunication, and FM, for example. In an embodiment of the invention,an FM transmitter and receiver, along with other wirelessfunctionalities such as Bluetooth and near field communication (NFC) maybe integrated onto a single chip. The size of a system, such as acellular phone with multi-protocol capability, may be greatly reduced ifthe radio functions for these protocols may be integrated onto a singlechip.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an exemplary FM transmitter thatcommunicates with handheld devices that utilize a single chip withintegrated Bluetooth, near field communication and FM radios, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1B,there is shown an FM transmitter 102, a cellular phone 104 a, a smartphone 104 b, a computer 104 c, and an exemplary FM, NFC andBluetooth-equipped device 104 d. The FM transmitter 102 may beimplemented as part of a radio station or other broadcasting device, forexample. Each of the cellular phone 104 a, the smart phone 104 b, thecomputer 104 c, and the exemplary FM, NFC and Bluetooth-equipped device104 d may comprise a single chip 106 with integrated Bluetooth, NFC andFM radios for supporting FM, NFC and Bluetooth data communications. TheFM transmitter 102 may enable communication of FM audio data to thedevices shown in FIG. 1B by utilizing the single chip 106. Each of thedevices in FIG. 1B may comprise and/or may be communicatively coupled toa listening device 108 such as a speaker, a headset, or an earphone, forexample.

The cellular phone 104 a may be enabled to receive an FM transmissionsignal from the FM transmitter 102. The user of the cellular phone 104 amay then listen to the transmission via the listening device 108. Thecellular phone 104 a may comprise a “one-touch” programming feature thatenables pulling up specifically desired broadcasts, like weather,sports, stock quotes, or news, for example. The smart phone 104 b may beenabled to receive an FM transmission signal from the FM transmitter102. The user of the smart phone 104 b may then listen to thetransmission via the listening device 108.

The computer 104 c may be a desktop, laptop, notebook, tablet, and/or aPDA, for example. The computer 104 c may be enabled to receive an FMtransmission signal from the FM transmitter 102. The user of thecomputer 104 c may then listen to the transmission via the listeningdevice 108. The computer 104 c may comprise software menus thatconfigure listening options and enable quick access to favorite options,for example. In one embodiment of the invention, the computer 104 c mayutilize an atomic clock FM signal for precise timing applications, suchas scientific applications, for example. While a cellular phone, a smartphone, computing devices, and other devices are shown in FIG. 1B, thesingle chip 106 may be utilized in a plurality of other devices and/orsystems that receive and use Bluetooth, NFC and/or FM signals. In oneembodiment of the invention, the single chip Bluetooth, NFC and FM radiomay be utilized in a system comprising a WLAN radio.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an exemplary FM receiver that communicateswith handheld devices that utilize a single chip with integratedBluetooth, NFC and FM radios, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 1C, there is shown an FM receiver 110, thecellular phone 104 a, the smart phone 104 b, the computer 104 c, and theexemplary FM, NFC and Bluetooth-equipped device 104 d. In this regard,the FM receiver 110 may comprise and/or may be communicatively coupledto a listening device 108. A device equipped with the Bluetooth, NFC andFM transceivers, such as the single chip 106, may be able to broadcastits respective signal to a “deadband” of an FM receiver for use by theassociated audio system. For example, a cellphone or a smart phone, suchas the cellular phone 104 a and the smart phone 104 b, may transmit atelephone call for listening over the audio system of an automobile, viausage of a deadband area of the car's FM stereo system. One advantagemay be the universal ability to use this feature with all automobilesequipped simply with an FM radio with few, if any, other external FMtransmission devices or connections being required.

In another example, a computer, such as the computer 104 c, may comprisean MP3 player or another digital music format player and may broadcast asignal to the deadband of an FM receiver in a home stereo system. Themusic on the computer may then be listened to on a standard FM receiverwith few, if any, other external FM transmission devices or connections.While a cellular phone, a smart phone, and computing devices have beenshown, a single chip that combines a Bluetooth, NFC and FM transceiverand/or receiver may be utilized in a plurality of other devices and/orsystems that receive and use an FM signal.

FIG. 1D is a diagram illustrating a near field communication (NFC)system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 1D, there is shown a personal computer (PC) 140, and a smart hone142. FIG. 1D may illustrate the download of data stored in a smart phone142, such as an address book, to a PC 140.

When a device, such as the smart phone 142 attempts to transmit data, itmay generate an electromagnetic field in its proximate vicinity. The PC140 may detect corresponding electromagnetic energy, which may causeinitiation of an NFC P2P communication. The smart phone 142 may generatea signal based on the data to be transmitted, which may cause variationsin the electromagnetic field. The PC 140 may detect variations in thecorresponding electromagnetic energy that may enable the PC 140 toreceive the data transmitted by the smart phone 142.

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a low speed communication protocol.NFC may be used, for example, to set up a Bluetooth communication linkbetween two computers by simply touching the two computers to open aconnection to exchange the parameters of the Bluetooth communication. ABluetooth communication session may be established as a second step ofthis procedure without any human interference. Once the communicationsession is established, the computers may be moved away from each otherbut the communication may continue via the Bluetooth communicationsession that was established previously. The same procedure may be usedto establish a wireless link, for example, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, betweentwo computers or consumer electronics devices like TVs, laptopcomputers, PDAs, mobile phones, and/or smart phones.

The NFC protocol is based on a wireless interface in which there may betwo parties to the communication. Accordingly, the protocol may bereferred to as a peer-to-peer communication protocol. The NFC protocolmay be utilized to establish wireless network connections betweennetwork appliances and consumer electronics devices. The NFC interfacesoperate in the unregulated RF band of 13.56 MHz. This means that norestrictions are applied and no licenses are required for the use of NFCdevices in this RF band. Of course, each country imposes certainlimitations on the electromagnetic emissions in this RF band. Theselimitations mean that, in practice, the distance at which the devicesmay connect with each other is restricted and this distance may varyfrom country to country. Operating distances of 0-20 cm may be generallyutilized for NFC. The bit rate=(Dxfc)/128, where D=2N and N=0 to 6. Datamay be Manchester encoded using ASK modulation.

As is often the case with the devices sharing a single RF band, thecommunication may be half-duplex. The devices may implement a “listenbefore talk” policy, in which a device first listens on the carrierfrequency and start transmitting a signal only if no other transmittingdevice is detected. The NFC protocol distinguishes between an initiatorand a target of the communication. Any device may be either an initiatoror a target. The initiator may be the device that initiates and controlsthe exchange of data. The target may be the device that answers therequest from the initiator. The NFC protocol also may distinguishbetween two modes of operation, namely, an active mode and a passivemode. NFC compliant devices may support both communication modes. In theactive mode of communication, the initiator and target devices maygenerate their own RF field to carry the data. In the passive mode ofcommunication, only one device may generate the RF field while the otherdevice uses load modulation to transfer the data. The NFC protocolspecifies that the initiator is the device responsible to generate theRF field.

Communication using NFC protocol may be desirable since it provides somefeatures not found in other general-purpose protocols. First of all, itis a very short-range protocol. It supports communication at distancesmeasured in centimeters. The devices have to be literally almost touchedto establish the link between them. This has some importantconsequences. The devices may rely on the protocol to be inherentlysecured since the devices must be placed very close to each other. It iseasy to control whether the two devices communicate by simply placingthem next to each other or keeping them apart. The procedure utilizedfor establishing the protocol may be inherently familiar to people,since if it may be desirable to have two devices communicate, the twodevices may be brought within range, on the order of centimeters, ofeach other. This allows for the establishment of a network connectionbetween the devices to be completely automated and transparent. Thewhole process may appear as though the devices recognize each other bytouch and connect to each other once touching occurs.

Another important feature of this protocol may be the support for thepassive mode of communication. This is very important forbattery-powered devices since they may place conservation of the energyas the first priority. The protocol may allow a device, such as a mobilephone, to operate in a power-saving mode, namely, the passive mode ofNFC. This mode does not require both devices to generate the RF fieldand allows the complete communication to be powered from one side only.Of course, the device itself will still need to be powered internallybut it may not have to “waste” the battery on powering the RFcommunication interface.

Also, the protocol may be used easily in conjunction with otherprotocols to select devices and automate connection set-up. As wasdemonstrated in the examples of use above, the parameters of otherwireless protocols may be exchanged allowing for automated set-up ofother, longer-range connections. The difficulty in using longer-rangeprotocols like Bluetooth or Wireless Ethernet is in selecting thecorrect device out of the multitude of devices in the range andproviding the right parameters for the connection. Using NFC, the wholeprocedure is simplified to a mere touch of one device to another.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the integration ofnear field communication (NFC), Bluetooth and FM transmission and/orreception may be integrated onto a single chip. The size of a wirelesssystem may be greatly reduced if the radio functions for these protocolsare integrated onto a single chip. The integration of an NFC system withFM and Bluetooth functionality may enable the production of a portablecommunication device with compact size and efficient power usage. Ahandheld device, such as the smart phone 142, may be able to receive FMradio signals, transmit cellular or audio file signals to an FMreceiver, communicate with an automatic payment system in a grocerystore utilizing NFC, and communicate with a Bluetooth headset, to name afew examples.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system that enablesBluetooth communication, near field communication (NFC) and FMtransmission and/or reception, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown Bluetooth/NFC/FM radio200 comprising a coupler 201, an FM receiver 203, an FM transmitter 205,direct digital frequency synthesizers (DDFSs) 207, 211A and 211B, an NFCreceiver/transmitter 209, frequency word blocks 213A, 213B and 213C,dividers 215A and 215B, a Bluetooth LOGEN 217, a Bluetooth receiver 219and a Bluetooth transmitter 221. There is also shown frequency controlsignals d₁(t), d₂(t) and d₃(t) and in-phase and quadrature signalsI_(Rx), Q_(Rx), I_(Tx), Q_(Tx), I_(BT) and Q_(BT).

The Bluetooth LOGEN 217 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode for generating a clock signal at a frequency that may be utilizedby a Bluetooth receiver and transmitter, such as the Bluetooth receiver219 and the Bluetooth transmitter 221. In another embodiment of theinvention, the Bluetooth LOGEN 217 may comprise a phase locked loop(PLL). The Bluetooth LOGEN 217 may generate an output signal in afrequency of 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz, for example. In another embodiment ofthe invention, the Bluetooth LOGEN 217 may generate an clock signal at afrequency that may be divided and subsequently mixed with the originalclock signal such that resulting output signal may have a frequencywithin the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz. For example, the clock signalmay be at a frequency of 1.6 GHz. This frequency may be divided by 2 to800 MHz, which may then be mixed with the original 1.6 GHz clock signal,resulting in a 2.4 GHz output signal.

The Bluetooth receiver 219 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable reception of Bluetooth signals, such as from aBluetooth transmitter in a wireless headset, for example. The Bluetoothreceiver 219 may receive as inputs, I_(BT) and Q_(BT) signals generatedby the Bluetooth PLL 217, and a Bluetooth signal received from a remotetransmitter. The Bluetooth receiver 219 may generate an output signalthat may be communicated to a processor, such as the baseband processor154 described with respect to FIG. 1A.

The Bluetooth transmitter 221 may comprise suitable circuitry, logicand/or code that may enable transmission of Bluetooth signals, to aremote receiver such as a Bluetooth receiver in a wireless headset, forexample. The Bluetooth transmitter 221 may receive as inputs, I_(BT) andQ_(BT) signals generated by the Bluetooth PLL 217, and a signal from aprocessor, such as the baseband processor 154 described with respect toFIG. 1A.

The dividers 215A and 215B may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable converting the frequency of an input signal to asignal with a frequency that may equal the input frequency divided by aninteger. For example, the dividers 215A and 215B may receive an inputsignal at a frequency of 1.6 GHz, and generate an output signal with afrequency of 800 MHz.

The DDFSs 207, 211A and 211B may be digitally-controlled signalgenerators that may vary analog output signals over a large range offrequencies, based on a single fixed-frequency precision referenceclock. The input clock signals for the DDFSs 211A and 211B may comprisethe output signals of the dividers 215A and 215B, respectively, and theinput clock signal for the DDFS 207 may comprise the quadrature signalQ_(Rx) generated by the DDFS 211A. The DDFSs 207, 211A and 211B may bephase-tunable, and the DDFS 211A and 211B may generate quadrature andin-phase signals, as opposed to a single output signal.

The digital input signals d₁(t), d₂(t) and d₃(t) generated by thefrequency word blocks 213A, 213B and 213C may comprise controlinformation about the frequency and/or phase of the analog output signalthat may be generated by the respective DDFS. The input clock signalsmay provide a reference clock that may be N times higher than thefrequency that may be generated at the output signal. Using the inputclock signals and the information that may be contained in the digitalinput signal d₁(t), d₂(t) and/or d₃(t), the DDFSs 207, 211A and 211B maygenerate one or more variable frequency analog output signals.

The NFC transmitter/receiver (Tx/Rx) 209 may comprise suitablecircuitry, logic and/or code that may enable receiving and/ortransmitting near field communication signals, as described with respectto FIG. 1D. The NFC Tx/Rx 209 may receive as inputs, signals generatedby a processor, such as the baseband processor 154, described withrespect to FIG. 1A, and the Q_(Rx) output signal generated by the DDFS207, to generate an output signal to be communicated to an antenna fortransmission. The NFC Tx/Rx 209 may also receive input signals receivedfrom an antenna, and may downconvert and filter the signals, forexample, before communicating the resulting output signal to aprocessor.

The FM receiver 203 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or codethat may enable the reception of an FM signal via the coupler 201 and anantenna, not shown. The FM receiver 203 may receive as inputs, in-phaseand quadrature signals I_(Rx) and Q_(Rx) from the DDFS 211A, and asignal received by an antenna via the coupler 201. The FM receiver 203is described further with respect to FIG. 4.

The FM transmitter 205 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable the transmission of an FM signal via the coupler201 and an antenna, not shown. The FM transmitter 205 may receive asinputs, in-phase and quadrature signals I_(Tx) and R_(Tx) generated bythe DDFS 211B, and a signal to be modulated and transmitted, generatedby a processor, such as the baseband processor 154, described withrespect to FIG. 1A. The FM transmitter 205 is described further withrespect to FIG. 4.

The coupler 201 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code thatmay enable both the reception and transmission of FM signals by anantenna, not shown. In instances where the FM transmitter 203 and the FMreceiver 205 may transmit and receive, respectively, signals at adifferent frequency, the signals may be transmitted and receivedsimultaneously.

In operation, the Bluetooth LOGEN 217 may generate I_(BT) and Q_(BT)signals for the transmission and reception of Bluetooth signals via theBluetooth transmitter 221 and the Bluetooth receiver 219. The quadraturesignal Q_(BT) may also be communicated from the Bluetooth LOGEN 217 tothe dividers 215A and 215B. The dividers 215A and 215B may reduce thefrequency of the input signal and communicate an output signal to theDDFSs 211A and 211B, respectively. The DDFS 211A may receive thefrequency divided clock signal and a frequency control signal d₁(t) fromthe frequency word block 213A and generate output in-phase andquadrature signals I_(Rx) and Q_(Rx) that may be communicated to the FMreceiver 203. The FM receiver 203 may utilize the in-phase andquadrature signals I_(Rx) and Q_(Rx) to demodulate a signal received byan antenna via the coupler 201.

The quadrature signal Q_(Rx) may also be communicated to the DDFS 207,which may also receive as an input the frequency control signal d₃(t).The DDFS 207 may generate an output signal at a frequency appropriatefor NFC transmission and reception, 13.56 MHz for example, by the NFCTx/Rx 209.

Due to the DDFS's ability to maintain phase when switching frequenciesquickly, the NFC Tx/Rx 209 may incorporate time-division duplexing suchthat the transmission and reception of NFC signals may benear-simultaneous. In another embodiment of the invention, a second DDFSmay be incorporated, allowing for simultaneous transmission andreception.

The DDFS 211B may receive as inputs the output signal generated by thedivider 215B and the frequency control signal d₂(t), and generatein-phase and quadrature signals I_(Tx) and Q_(Tx). The signals I_(Tx)and Q_(Tx) may be communicated to the FM transmitter 205 for generationof a signal to be transmitted by an antenna via the coupler 201.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a direct digital frequency synthesizer inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3,there is shown a DDFS 322 comprising an accumulator 304 and two digitalto analog conversion (DAC) blocks 306A and 306B. In another embodimentof the invention, the DDFS 322 may comprise a single DAC such that theDDFS may generate a single output signal, such as in the DDFS 207,described with respect to FIG. 2. The accumulator block 304 may comprisesuitable circuitry, logic, and/or code to enable successively addingCTRL to a value stored in the accumulator on each cycle of a referenceclock. The accumulator 304 may also receive a reference signal, f_(ref),which may be fixed-frequency or may be of varying frequency. In the caseof a varying f_(ref), the change in frequency may be compensated for byaltering CTRL such that the frequency output by the DDFS may beunaffected. In this regard, CTRL and f_(ref) may determine phase andfrequency of output signals I and Q. For example, I and Q may be inphase and quadrature signals.

The DAC blocks 306A and 306B may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, andand/or code that may enable output of one or more signals of varyingphase, frequency, or amplitude. In one embodiment, the DAC blocks 306Band 306B may comprise a number of lookup tables used to generate outputsignals I and Q. In this manner, the DDFS block 322 may be adigitally-controlled signal generator that may vary phase, frequency,and/or amplitude of one or more output signals based on a singlereference clock, and a control word, CTRL.

In operation, CTRL may be provided to the accumulator 304, and may besuccessively added to a value stored in the accumulator 304 on eachcycle of the reference clock. In this manner, the sum will eventually begreater than the maximum value the accumulator can store, and the valuein the accumulator may overflow or “wrap”. Accordingly, an N-bitaccumulator may overflow at a frequency f_(ddfs) given by the followingequation.f _(ddfs) =f _(ref)(CTRL/2^(N))

In this manner, the output of the accumulator, θ_(ctrl), will beperiodic with period 1/f_(ddfs) and may represent the phase angle of asignal. In this regard, the DDFS 322 may be well suited as a frequencygenerator that generates one or more sine waves or other periodicwaveforms over a large range of frequencies, from almost DC toapproximately half the reference clock frequency f_(ref).

Prior to changing CTRL, the state of the DDFS 322 may be saved in, forexample, a memory such as the system memory 158, described with respectto FIG. 1A. In this manner, the output signal may be interrupted andthen resumed without losing the phase information comprising thegenerated signals. For example, each time the DDFS 322 may resumegenerating the signal, the saved state may be loaded from memory, andthe signal may resume from the last phase angle transmitted before theDDFS interrupted the signal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for FM transmission andreception, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referringto FIG. 4, the radio 400 may comprise two frequency synthesizers 424 aand 424 b, an FM receive (Rx) block 426, a memory 428, a processor 430,and an FM transmit (Tx) block 432.

The frequency synthesizers 424 a and 424 b may comprise suitablecircuitry, logic, and/or code that may enable generation of fixed orvariable frequency signals. For example, the frequency synthesizers 424a and 424 b may each comprise one or more DDFSs, such as DDFS 322described with respect to FIG. 3, along with a clock source, such as aBluetooth or RFID phase-locked loop (PLL) clock generator.

The memory 428 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code thatmay enable storing information. In this regard, the memory 428 may, forexample, enable storing information utilized for controlling and/orconfiguring the frequency synthesizers 424 a and 424 b. For example, thememory 428 may store the value of state variables that may be utilizedto control the frequency output by each of the frequency synthesizers424 a and 424 b. Additionally, the memory 428 may enable storinginformation that may be utilized to configure the FM Rx block 426 andthe FM Tx block 432. In this regard, the FM RX block 426 and/or the FMTx block 432 may comprise circuitry, logic, and/or code such as afilter, for example, that may be configured based on the desiredfrequency of operation.

The processor 430 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or codethat may enable interfacing to the memory 428, the frequencysynthesizers 424 a and 424 b, the FM Rx block 426 and/or the FM Tx block432. In this regard, the processor 430 may be enabled to execute one ormore instructions that enable reading and/or writing to/from the memory428. Additionally, the processor 430 may be enabled to execute one ormore instructions that enable providing one or more control signals tothe frequency synthesizer 424, the FM Rx block 426, and/or the FM Txblock 432.

The FM Rx block 426 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or codethat may enable reception of FM signals. In this regard, the FM Rx block426 may be enabled to tune to a desired channel, amplify receivedsignals, down-convert received signals, and/or demodulate receivedsignals to, for example, output data and/or audio information comprisingthe channel. For example, the FM Rx block 426 may utilize in-phase andquadrature local oscillator signals generated by the frequencysynthesizer 424 a to down-convert received FM signals. The FM Rx block426 may, for example, be enabled to operate over the “FM broadcastband”, or approximately 60 MHz to 130 Mhz. Signal processing performedby the FM Rx block 426 may be performed entirely in the analog domain,or the FM Rx block 426 may comprise one or more analog to digitalconverters and/or digital to analog converters.

The FM Tx block 432 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or codethat may enable transmission of FM signals. In this regard, the FM Txblock 432 may enable frequency modulating a carrier signal withaudio/data information. In this regard, the carrier frequency may begenerated by the clock frequency synthesizer 424 b. The FM Tx block 432may also enable up-converting a modulated signal to a frequency, forexample, in the “FM broadcast band”, or approximately 60 MHz to 130 MHz.Additionally, the FM Tx block 432 may enable buffering and/or amplifyinga FM signal such that the signal may be transmitted via an antenna. Inanother embodiment of the invention, the frequency synthesizer 424 a maycomprise a DDFS that may be capable of providing FM modulation for thesignal to be transmitted.

The FM Rx block 426 and the FM Tx block 432 may share an antenna orutilize separate antennas. In the case of a shared antenna, adirectional coupler, transformer, or some other circuitry may beutilized to couple the Tx output and Rx input to an antenna via acoupler, such as the coupler 201 described with respect to FIG. 2.

In an exemplary operation of the system 400, one or more signalsprovided by the processor 430 may configure the system 400 to transmitand/or receive FM signals. To receive FM signals, the processor 430 mayprovide one or more control signals to frequency synthesizers 424 a and424 b in order to generate appropriate LO frequencies based on thereference signal f_(ref). In this regard, the processor may interface tothe memory 428 in order to determine the appropriate state of anycontrol signals provided to the frequency synthesizers 424 a and 424 b.In this manner, the transmit frequency and receive frequency may bedetermined independently. Accordingly, utilizing a transmit frequencydifferent from the receive frequency may enable simultaneoustransmission and reception of FM signals.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary near fieldcommunication transmitter/receiver, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 5 there is shown an NFCtransmitter/receiver (Tx/Rx) 500 comprising programmable gain amplifiers(PGAs) 501A and 501B, mixers 503A and 503B, a DDFS 505, a poweramplifier (PA) 507, a low noise amplifier (LNA) 509, a coupler 511, anantenna 513 and a frequency control block 515. The NFC Tx/Rx 500 maycorrespond to the NFC Tx/Rx 209, described with respect to FIG. 2.

The PGAs 501A and 501B may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable the reception of an input signal and the generationof an output signal that may be amplified at a programmable gain level.The gain level may be determined by the strength of the received signalor the desired signal transmit level.

The DDFS 505 may be substantially similar to the DDFS 207, and thefrequency control block 515 may be substantially similar to thefrequency word block 213C, described with respect to FIG. 2. The DDFS505 may receive as inputs, the clock signal generated by another DDFS,such as the DDFS 211A, described with respect to FIG. 2

The mixers 503A and 503B may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable mixing two signals at two different frequencies,and generating an output signal may be at a frequency that is a sum or adifference of the frequencies of the input signals. The mixer 503A mayreceive as inputs, a clock signal generated by the DDFS 505 and thesignal generated by the PGA 501A. The mixer 503B may receive as inputs,a clock signal generated by the DDFS 505 and the signal generated by theLNA 509.

The PA 507 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that mayenable the reception of an input signal and the generation of an outputsignal that may be amplified at a programmable gain level. The gainlevel may be determined by the desired signal transmit level via theantenna 513.

The LNA 509 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that mayenable the reception of an input signal and the generation of an outputsignal that may be amplified at a programmable gain level. The gainlevel may be determined by the strength of the signal received via theantenna 513.

The coupler 511 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code thatmay enable coupling of both transmitting and receiving circuitry to thesame antenna. In an embodiment of the invention, the NFCtransmitter/receiver 500 may transmit and receive non-simultaneously.Due to the DDFS's ability to maintain phase when switching frequenciesquickly, the NFC transmitter/receiver 500 may incorporate time-divisionduplexing such that the transmission and reception of NFC signals may benear-simultaneous. In another embodiment of the invention, a second DDFSmay be incorporated, allowing for simultaneous transmission andreception.

The antenna 513 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code thatmay enable transmission and reception of RF signals to and from thewireless medium.

In operation, an NFC signal to be transmitted by the NFCtransmitter/receiver 500 and generated by a baseband processor, such asthe baseband processor 154, described with respect to FIG. 1A, may bereceived by the PGA 501A. An amplified output signal may be generatedand communicated to the mixer 503A, where it may be mixed with a clocksignal generated by the DDFS 505. The mixer 503A may generate anup-converted output signal that may be communicated to the PA 507, whichmay generate an amplified output signal. The amplified output signal maybe communicated to the coupler 511 and then to the antenna 513 fortransmission.

A signal may be received by the antenna 513 and communicated to the LNA509 via the coupler 511. The LNA 509 may generate an amplified outputsignal that may be communicated to the mixer 503B. The mixer 503B mayalso receive as an input, the clock signal generated by the DDFS 505,and generate a down-converted output signal that may be communicated tothe PGA 501B. The PGA 501B may generate an amplified output signal thatmay communicated to a baseband processor, such as the baseband processor154, described with respect to FIG. 1A.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary transmit and receiveprocess of a Bluetooth, FM and near field communication system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6,following start step 601, in step 603, the Bluetooth LOGEN 217 maygenerate a first clock signal. In step 605, the Bluetooth receiver 219and Bluetooth transmitter 221 may receive and transmit Bluetoothsignals, respectively. In step 607, the frequency of the first clocksignal may be divided to a lower frequency. In step 609, the DDFSs 211Aand 211B may generate the in-phase and quadrature signals I_(Rx),Q_(Rx), I_(Tx), and Q_(Tx). In step 611, the FM receiver 203 and the FMtransmitter 205 may utilize the in-phase and quadrature signals I_(Rx),Q_(Rx), I_(Tx), and Q_(Tx) to receive and transmit FM signals. Thequadrature signal Q_(Rx) may be utilized by the DDFS 207 to generate anNFC clock signal. In step 613, the NFC Tx/Rx 209 may utilize the NFCclock signal to receive and/or transmit NFC signals, followed by endstep 615.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forgenerating a first signal to enable transmission and/or reception ofBluetooth signals. A plurality of direct digital frequency synthesizers207, 211A and 211B may be clocked via the generated first signal toenable simultaneous transmission and reception of frequency modulatedsignals, and also enable transmission and/or reception of near fieldcommunication signals. The first signal may be generated via a BluetoothLOGEN 217 or a Bluetooth PLL, and may comprise an in-phase componentI_(BT) and a quadrature component Q_(BT). The frequency of the firstsignal may be within the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz, or may be at afrequency that may be frequency divided and then mixed with the firstsignal to result in a signal with a frequency within the range of 2.4GHz to 2.483 GHz. One or more control word inputs d₁(t, d₂(t) and d₃(t)may be generated to control each of the plurality of direct digitalfrequency synthesizers 207, 211A and 211B. The one or more control wordinputs d₁(t), d₂(t) and/or d₃(t) may be adjusted to compensate forchanges in frequency of the generated first signal. Simultaneous NFCtransmission and NFC reception may be simulated by switching thegenerated one or more control word inputs d₃(t) to one or more of theplurality of direct digital frequency synthesizers 207, and may beswitched between a plurality of values in successive time intervals toperform time division duplexing of the NFC transmission and NFCreception. The NFC transmission may occur at a first frequency and theNFC reception may occur at a second frequency.

Certain embodiments of the invention may comprise a machine-readablestorage having stored thereon, a computer program having at least onecode section for communicating information within a network, the atleast one code section being executable by a machine for causing themachine to perform one or more of the steps described herein.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: in an RFchip comprising transmit and receive functions: generating a firstsignal to enable transmission and/or reception of Bluetooth signals,wherein the first signal is input to a plurality of direct digitalfrequency synthesizers (DDFSs); and clocking the plurality of DDFSs viathe generated first signal to enable simultaneous transmission andreception of frequency modulated (FM) signals, and to enabletransmission and/or reception of near field communication (NFC) signals.2. The method according to claim 1, comprising generating via a localoscillator generator (LOGEN), the first signal to enable thetransmission and/or the reception of the Bluetooth signals.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, comprising generating via a phase lockedloop (PLL), the first signal to enable the transmission and/or thereception of the Bluetooth signals.
 4. The method according to claim 1,wherein a frequency of the first signal is such that it may be frequencydivided and then mixed with the first signal to result in a signal witha frequency within the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the generated first signal that enablesthe transmission and/or the reception of the Bluetooth signals comprisesan in-phase component and a component.
 6. The method according to claim1, comprising generating one or more control word inputs to control eachof the plurality of direct digital frequency synthesizers.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 6, comprising adjusting the generated one or morecontrol word inputs to each of the plurality of direct digital frequencysynthesizers to compensate for changes in frequency of the generatedfirst signal.
 8. The method according to claim 6, comprising simulatingsimultaneous NFC transmission and NFC reception by switching thegenerated one or more control word inputs to one or more of theplurality of direct digital frequency synthesizers.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 8, comprising switching the generated one or morecontrol word inputs between a plurality of values in successive timeintervals to perform time division duplexing of the simulatedsimultaneous NFC transmission and the NFC reception.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the NFC transmission occurs at a firstfrequency and the NFC reception occurs at a second frequency.
 11. Asystem for wireless communication, the system comprising: one or morecircuits in an RF chip, the RF chip comprising transmit and receivefunctions, the one or more circuits being operable to: generate a firstsignal to enable transmission and/or reception of Bluetooth signals,wherein the first signal is input to a plurality of direct digitalfrequency synthesizers (DDFSs); and clock the plurality of DDFSs via thegenerated first signal to enable simultaneous transmission and receptionof frequency modulated (FM) signals, and to enable transmission and/orreception of near field communication (NFC) signals.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the one or more circuits are operable togenerate via a local oscillator generator (LOGEN), the first signal toenable the transmission and/or the reception of the Bluetooth signals.13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the one or more circuitsare operable to generate via a phase locked loop (PLL), the first signalto enable the transmission and/or the reception of the Bluetoothsignals.
 14. The system according to claim 11, wherein a frequency ofthe first signal is within the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz.
 15. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein a frequency of the first signal issuch that it may be frequency divided and then mixed with the firstsignal to result in a signal with a frequency within the range of 2.4GHz to 2.483 GHz.
 16. The system according to claim 11, wherein thegenerated first signal that enables the transmission and/or thereception of the Bluetooth signals comprises an in-phase component and aquadrature component.
 17. The system according to claim 11, wherein theone or more circuits are operable to generate one or more control wordinputs to control each of the plurality of direct digital frequencysynthesizers.
 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the one ormore circuits are operable to adjust the generated one or more controlword inputs to each of the plurality of direct digital frequencysynthesizers to compensate for changes in frequency of the generatedfirst signal.
 19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the one ormore circuits are operable to simulate simultaneous NFC transmission andNFC reception by switching the generated one or more control word inputsto one or more of the plurality of direct digital frequencysynthesizers.
 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the one ormore circuits are operable to switch the generated one or more controlword inputs between a plurality of values in successive time intervalsto perform time division duplexing of the simulated simultaneous NFCtransmission and the NFC reception.
 21. The system according to claim20, wherein the NFC transmission occurs at a first frequency and the NFCreception occurs at a second frequency.